The second is a blog posted after watching the tutorial above and showing their journey:

The third is a book found on google books, I know this can be looked on as unfair to the writer but I found this a very nice read and wanted to share. It is called Surface Design for Ceramics by Maureen Mills.

I too am interested in this technique as well as other ways of transferring images to clay and it's nice to find others interested in experimenting this technique as well. I have been watching videos and reading books covering the subject. I found Maureen Mills book online ( it was also recommended by someone else here on the forum) and read a bit and liked it so much purchased a printed copy of it. I highly recommend this book, I just finished reading the entire thing, rather than just reading a pertinent chapter here and there. I can hardly wait to try out some of the stuff she covers, the only problem will be deciding which one to start with!

If you like unique surface decorating techniques I also recommend Erin Furimskys's DVD here on CAD. You can watch excerpts from it to decide if you think it's your thing or not before buying. After watching the samples for 2 months I finally gave in and purchased the DVD, it's expensive so I wanted to make sure I REALLY wanted it before buying it. I am so glad I did its everything I hoped for. It's actually helped me already to work smarter on a project I have been working on. As soon as I finish up my current projects I plan to try some of her techniques on some new ones that watching her DVD has inspired me to create.

I have also experimented on my own with some success with printing on parchment paper using my ink jet printer to transfer images to clay. Doing this is NOT a permanent kiln fired method since the ink will burn off. I have used it to transfer my own drawings to clay so I could do sgraffito and Mishima techniques without having to painstakingly sketch the images out by hand on wet clay. The photo I have attached was done using this technique(the Pug in the center) and is not complete, its been painted with underglazes and is awaiting the clear glaze and final firing.

Erin Furimsky shows a technique that uses gerstley borat, powdered pigments and water to basically make a transfer surface to trace over an image that you can transfer on to clay and it IS Kiln permanent and won't burn off in the kiln. I am very excited about this and plan to try it as soon as my supply order arrives.

if you can get your hands on an old photocopier copy your picture don't let the paper come out the otherside but power off the copier and open it, remove the paper before it can make it through the next heat section (permanently heating the ink to the paper). Old photocopiers still use iron oxide as the ink , so make a perfect prints onto clay. T

Here is my first go at using this technique, been a while since I found the technique but things got in the way.

I have no idea how it worked, all the way through I was thinking "this will never work" OK it is a little rough and I think that is to do with my ink but I am really happy with the results.Find out if I am still happy when it is fired.

Ink is a mixture of black iron oxide and linseed oil. I think burnt linseed oil is better after some more research but I am stuck with what I have for the minute. Ratio is 50/50 or there abouts. Printed onto porcelain.

The problem was that your 'ink' in this case was too fat. linseed oil will work, if you cook it down first. But really if you cook it down all you are making is burnt plate oil ... so just buy it. http://www.takachpre...late-Oil/Detail

But that is the primary reason it looks like it's seperating on the clay. Also probably do it with clay that is on the dry leather hard stage and you will have less transfer issues.

And your stain isn't bonding with the clay, use the following ratio for your ink ... 8 parts colorant, 1 part frit, 1 part epk. it won't wash out with a clear glaze. Because especially with stains ... you'll be able to rub that off after bisque. metal based colorants like cobalt and iron not so much, but I have some linocuts I printed onto clay with RIO that people have rubbed raw.

The problem was that your 'ink' in this case was too fat. linseed oil will work, if you cook it down first. But really if you cook it down all you are making is burnt plate oil ... so just buy it. http://www.takachpre...late-Oil/Detail

But that is the primary reason it looks like it's seperating on the clay. Also probably do it with clay that is on the dry leather hard stage and you will have less transfer issues.

And your stain isn't bonding with the clay, use the following ratio for your ink ... 8 parts colorant, 1 part frit, 1 part epk. it won't wash out with a clear glaze. Because especially with stains ... you'll be able to rub that off after bisque. metal based colorants like cobalt and iron not so much, but I have some linocuts I printed onto clay with RIO that people have rubbed raw.

I use a transfer method using 50 mason stain to 50 frit and have the same problem where the details disappear after glazing. What does adding the epk do?

The problem was that your 'ink' in this case was too fat. linseed oil will work, if you cook it down first. But really if you cook it down all you are making is burnt plate oil ... so just buy it. http://www.takachpre...late-Oil/Detail

But that is the primary reason it looks like it's seperating on the clay. Also probably do it with clay that is on the dry leather hard stage and you will have less transfer issues.

And your stain isn't bonding with the clay, use the following ratio for your ink ... 8 parts colorant, 1 part frit, 1 part epk. it won't wash out with a clear glaze. Because especially with stains ... you'll be able to rub that off after bisque. metal based colorants like cobalt and iron not so much, but I have some linocuts I printed onto clay with RIO that people have rubbed raw.

I use a transfer method using 50 mason stain to 50 frit and have the same problem where the details disappear after glazing. What does adding the epk do?

the epk just provides something the stain can bind to with the the frit and the clay body itself to bind in turn with the stain and frit, doesn't need to be alot, but when it sits on top of the clay body the stains even with a frit don't truly bond with anything so when you glaze the top, it can not only 'dissolve' a little in the glaze that does cover it but can slightly wash away ... do that to 100 plates and your glaze starts taking on a tint ... not good for batches of ware.

Think of the EPK as the second half of the binder to make a truly durable 'ink' ... with a more lean binder (burnt plate oil) and the modified pigment you can do just about anything.

And you probably only need a 50/50 ratio of frit to stain if your painting on glaze. and that is only to help stain melt into the glaze surface (and you still only want to deal with thin layers.) otherwise you can get a crustier matt finish. But that is only because the stains have been made to not melt at high temps on their own.

The problem was that your 'ink' in this case was too fat. linseed oil will work, if you cook it down first. But really if you cook it down all you are making is burnt plate oil ... so just buy it. http://www.takachpre...late-Oil/Detail

But that is the primary reason it looks like it's seperating on the clay. Also probably do it with clay that is on the dry leather hard stage and you will have less transfer issues.

And your stain isn't bonding with the clay, use the following ratio for your ink ... 8 parts colorant, 1 part frit, 1 part epk. it won't wash out with a clear glaze. Because especially with stains ... you'll be able to rub that off after bisque. metal based colorants like cobalt and iron not so much, but I have some linocuts I printed onto clay with RIO that people have rubbed raw.

I do not know what you mean by "too fat". I have just bought myself some boiled linseed oil which looks a lot like the link you posted. I read the book in my first post and they talk about burnt linseed oil but I could not find that anywhere so just assumed that boiled was one in the same. I did not have much problem with the ink rubbing off the bisque but need to get myself some frit and epk just to have that extra quality.

Not managed to test the new oil yet but hopefully sometime soon! I will post the results when I have tested.

Here it is again
"a surprisingly simple way to do photo image transfer with a litho technique"http://ceramicartsda...images-on-clay/
It uses Mason stain and Linseed oil imbedded into "soft leatherhard clay"
It works very well.
Marcia

Try looking up the MSDS sheets on HP laser printers, not anything ink jet related it has to take a toner cartridge. I use an HP Laser printer to print my own transfers that I can then fire in my kiln. A lot of HP toner has iron in it and when you make a transfer using it and then fire it everything burns off but the iron giving you a nice sepia toned image with great detail.

I've been wanting to try the linseed oil technique myself and would interested in hearing how it goes for you.

I'd like to ask others who may know about this process: will any Xerox copier have iron oxide in the toner, say if I went to a copy shop and they used Xerox machines? I'm interested in this topic too as I'd like to make some gifts with portraiture on them. I've already purchased the book OP mentioned as well as Images on Clay but there is nothing in there regarding this technique.

I have done this technique with xerox copies from Kinkos and from the post office in France. I mix the linseed oil with mason stains as shown in the CAD . this image was drawn with a litho crayon and transferred using the same technique and a xerox copy.

For HP printers you can go to their website and they have all the MSDS sheets for their printers there and clearly state which ones have iron in the toner and the percentage. I did a web search on hp toner msds sheets and that's the page that came up. Doing the same search with xerox also brings up their page with MSDS info on it. Near as I can tell it has to be just a black and white copier or laser printer with no color capabilities at all for it to have iron in the toner if I am wrong in this please somebody correct me.

Also does anybody have a link to the video that does not require flash? I'm on an iPad and the video won't run without flash. Thanks